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The immune system acts to protect us, often with such efficiency, it goes unnoticed. The system is a complex network of specialized cells and tissues that interact through cell signalling molecules (cytokines), cell membrane receptors and intracellular mechanisms. Immune cells are found in nearly every tissue in the body, acting like bouncers at a nightclub detecting both foreign “antigens” (trouble makers) or damaged cells that have the potential to do harm.

Read more to learn about what the gut has to do with our immune system as well as an explanation of the The Innate and Adaptive Immune System and how supporting and improving T regulatory cell function can help...

Perimenopause and menopause happen when the body’s natural production oestrogen (in the form of oestradiol) is reduced, due to the diminishment of ovarian follicles. As a result, progesterone production falls which in turn prevents the endometrium (the tissue that serves as the "wallpaper" of the uterus) from proliferating resulting in no shedding and bleeding. 

The decline in these hormones, as many women discover results in symptoms, common ones being: Hair loss, Hot flushes, Mood changes, Sleep disturbances, Urinary incontinence... and plenty more! BUT……..help is at hand, yet again, mother nature has a wonderful toolkit up her sleeve! The “treatment” of menopause from an allopathic perspective is based on HRT. From a naturopathic perspective we focus on symptomatic support in the form of dietary, nutrient and herbal therapeutics and a significant component of this are the inclusions of Phyto-oestrogens. 

Have you been told or bought into any of these statements: You have adrenal fatigue! | You are suffering as a result of “cortisol steal” - it’s hijacking/ stealing away from all of your other hormones, such as oestrogen and DHEA | Your adrenal glands are your back up at peri menopause and menopause...

All these statements are incorrect. “Adrenal fatigue”, “adrenal exhaustion”  and cortisol steal - are terms offered as a “diagnosis” by sadly too many practitioners to summarize the complex dysfunctions related to the stress response. Here I explain more about the background to the stress response and why biochemically cortisol steal is impossible... 

It’s easy to be swayed at this time of year that drinking juice is “healthy” and that it will negate all the sins for which we’ve committed in December! We are encouraged by very persuasive and attractive marketing to purchase 3, 5 or even 10-day  juice cleanses and detoxes to help our health and be pushed across the line by promises of dramatic weight-loss. And of course we think we are giving our children a healthy alternative by letting them drink box after box of “pure fruit juice”. It’s pure fruit juice, so it’s good for us, right?

Juice, whether it is store-bought (the worst), or freshly made at home seems to be promoted as a healthy choice. But, contrary to popular belief, juice, purchased from the supermarket, is not far from drinking pure liquid sugar. And in truth, it’s not much better than drinking a can of fizzy drink, in terms of how your body deals with it. Read on for all the details along with my simple tip for “detoxing or cleansing”.

I had the pleasure of attending 15 hours of post graduate education on autoimmunity treatment applications and clinical strategies by the Kharrazian Institute earlier this month and I wanted to write a few blogs over the coming months with some bite size pieces of information to help any of you that follow me. This post is on the very important area of losing tolerance - and I’m not talking about with your children or partner! 

Autoimmunity is highly complex and multi-faceted, with many overlapping possible causes. As a functional health practitioner, with a particular interest in best supporting clients with autoimmunity to lessen symptoms and reduce  “flares”, a fundamental factor to try and manage initially is the area of “Immune Tolerance”.  In this blog I explore oral tolerance in detail, and show how when this is “lost”, foods, chemicals and antigens-bacterial, viral and stealth can induce autoimmunity, and play a significant contributing factor.

Antioxidants, free radicals and oxidative stress: have become trendy topics as far as health and longevity are concerned. The best way to think about oxidative stress is as the wear and tear that happens on your system as part of our general and normal running of bodily functions,  called metabolism. To protect ourselves against oxidative stress and free radicals we have a built in antioxidant system designed to mitigate this wear and tear, but can run into health problems if these reserves are overused and become depleted. 

Read on to find out more about free radicals and how they cause damage the role of antioxidants & my advice for you...

The vaginal area has its own distinct microbiome community which differs from the other microbiomes; the gut and the skin. An imbalance (termed dysbiosis) of the vaginal flora can play a large role in infertility, frequent miscarriage, endometriosis, frequent urinary tract infections, bacterial vaginosis,  itching and pain.

A number of protective Lactobacillus species dominates what is termed a healthy vaginal microbiota. So what is so special about Lactobacilli then, that keeps the vaginal microbiome “healthy”? 

Read on to find out more including the screening and products I personally recommend

Intermittent Fasting has become the new buzz word, 5:2, 16:8 - are you confused? I’m not surprised! In this week’s blog I explain what these terms mean and represent. Fasting is generally defined as: the abstinence from or limitation of food, drink or both. There are three main categories of fasting: time restricted fasting; intermittent fasting; and short term and prolonged or periodic fasting.

From a physiological and metabolic perspective, each type of fasting leads to different health effects, depending on the type and duration of the fast. Read on to find out more including one of my clients’ diary account of her personal experience of a 5 day Prolon plan (she writes really well and is worth the read!)

“I’m allergic to gluten and diary”, is a common thing I hear from both my clients and just generally in social circles. This whole area can be a very confusing topic, so, I am putting pen to paper and this blog post is designed to help you understand the difference between an allergic food reaction, food sensitivities or intolerances and whether you might benefit from testing. Here I explain the reactions occuring in each instance of a food allergy, sensitivity and intolerance followed by the testing reports I tend to use.